WHERE AND WHAT IS SLOVENIA?

Sleeping Beauty and the magic Fairy Kingdom is called Slovenia in Michael Moore's documentary Where to invade next. It caught his eyes because of all the natural beauties and because we are one of only 12 countries in the world where you can study for free.

So ... Let me share some things about my beloved country ...

Slovenia covers less than 0,004 % of the Earth's surface but 1 % of the total biodiversity of Earth.

Bled with its lake, island, castle, cream cake and pletna is the most attractive tourist destination in Slovenia.

More than half of the coutry is protected, with almost 60 % of its total area covered in forest.

In the book Veronica Decides to Die the author Paulo Coelho set his story in the capital city of Slovenia - Ljubljana.

Ljubljana is a holder of the title 2016 European Green Capital and has been recognized as a Tree City of the World; Ljubljana is often translated as ‘the loved one’.

Coelho (trough Veronica) says the following about this former Yugoslav republic:

A strange country for which no one knows where it is except those who live here. Nobody knows where Slovenia is. Yet, it exist and it is out there, among the mountains that surround it, and here, in the square before her eyes. Slovenia is her country ...

"If they don't know where Slovenia is, Ljubljana must be the ninth wonder for them," she thought. Like Atlantis or Lemuria or those Lost Continents that stir the human imagination.

                                           

Slovenia has more than 10,000 caves, the largest is Postojna cave, the largest show cave in Europe, which is home to the olm - a rare animal species referred to as the ‘baby dragon or human fish’.

Vilenica Cave at Lokev is the oldest show cave in Europe. The first tourists to the cave were recorded in 1633.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian movie was filmed in Slovenia, also Death Train, Winnetou.

 

In the chapter where Coelho describes the reasons for writing his book, he compares Slovenia with his Brazilian homeland - just as some people think that Slovenia is a city in Germany, many foreigners think that the Argentine city of Buenos Aires is the capital of Brazil.

Slovenia is home to white horses called Lipizzan – and Lipica is the oldest European stud farm continuously breeding one of the oldest cultural horse breeds. Horses are usually born black, then change slowly over 6 to 10 years to their trademark white color.

The linden tree is a symbol for the Slovenian people; it can survive centuries and it represents love, friendship, and loyalty – the oldest is 700 years old and has a circumference of 10 meters (Najvnik Linden tree in Koroška region).

My homeland is also mentioned in Sharon McErlane's book Our love is our power:

"Slovenia lies in the middle of an area surrounded by many cultures - Germanic, Croatian, Italian, Serbian, Muslim and others. It is situated in the middle of the mountains, close to the sea, and its location resembles a button on a coat. Slovenia connects and holds things together.

Awareness in Slovenia is inherently spiritually elevated by nature, although it is currently somewhat blurred and closed. During this time a certain spiritual awakening is taking place, but consciousness has been dormant there for a long time, so the process will take some time.

To illustrate the deafness that hangs over this land the grandmothers showed me the picture of an ostrich with its head in the sand and the picture of a person who is constantly turning its head away. The Slovenians have experienced so many negativity, bloodshed and wars that many of them have fallen asleep.

 

Woman and men here have begun to awaken from the Sleeping Beauty sleep that has kept their country in power for so many years. They want to awaken even more and are interested in serving the world ...

This country will establish itself as a spiritual center, as a 'button' that actually holds everything together ... The handshake will be particularly important in the Balkans, where war, mistrust and separation have prevailed for so long ..."

Soča river - due to its emerald-green water, the river is marketed as "The Emerald Beauty". Territory of Slovenia measures 20230 square kilometers and has almost 27,000 kilometers of rivers, streams and other waterways.

Planica is the second largerst ski-flying hill in the world where more than 40 world records have been achieved.

So ... what has happened here in the past? 

Slovenian area has been inhabited since prehistory. In Hell Cave in the Loza Woods where recovered two stone tools from Paleolithic.

In the Cave near Cerkno was found the oldest known musical instrument in the world – Divje Babe Flute (it is believed to be 55,000 years old).

Near Ljubljana Marshes was also found the world’s oldest securely dated wooden wheel and axle.

In the Iron Age Slovenia was inhabited by Ilyrian and Celtic tribes until the 1^st century BC, when Romans conquered the region. During the Migration Period region suffered invasions of many barbarian armies, most cities were destroyed …

The official theory says that our slavic ancestors of present-day Slovenes settled in this area in the end of the 6^th century. They establshed the independent principality of Carantania. In 8^th century Christianization began and  Carantania lost its independence to Bavarian overrule in 9^th century. 

Carantania coat of arms

In the 15th century, the Habsburg domination was challenged by the Counts of Celje, but by the end of the century the great majority of Slovene-inhabited territores were incorporated into the Habsburg Monarchy.

The territory of the Counts of Celje

Between the 15th and the 17th centuries, the Slovene Lands suffered many calamities. Many areas, especially in southern Slovenia, were devastated by the Ottoman-Habsburg wars. The western Slovene regions became the battlefield of the wars between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Venetian Republic. Until the early 18th century this lands also witnessed many peasant revolts.

Between 1805 and 1813, the Slovene-settled territory was part of the Illyrian Provices, an autonomous province of the Napoleonic Frenc Empire.

Following the dissolution of Austro-Hungarian Empire after WWI on 29 October 1918 independence of the new State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs was declared.

Waterfall Kozjak near Kobarid - settlement is known for the 1917 Battle of Caporetto, where the Italian retreat was documented by Ernest Hemingway in his novel A Farewell to Arms.

On 1 December 1918 the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs merged with Serbia, becoming part of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, itself being renamed in 1929 to Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Following the re-establishment of Yugoslavia at the end of World War II, Slovenia became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

                                                                       Yugoslavia

Slovenia’s War of Independence in 1991, also known as the Ten-Day War, was the first war in Europe since World War II. On 25^th June of 1991, after hundreds of years of resistance and unwillingness to submit, the nation’s dream came true and Slovenia finally became an independent country.

“Today dreams are allowed. Tomorrow is a new day” – words from a speech by the then President of the Presidency of the Republic of Slovenia, Milan Kučan, on the declaration of Slovenian independence.

Slovene language was the glue that kept the nation together throughout the centuries.

It was the first written Slavic language and is considered to be one of the most archaic languages in Europe.

The Freising manuscripts (Slovene: Brižinski spomeniki or Brižinski rokopisi) are the first Latin-script continuous text in a Slavic language and "the oldest document in Slovene.

The first mentions of a common Slovene ethnic identity, transcending regional boundaries, date from the 16th century when the Protestant Reformation spread throughout the Slovene Lands. During this period, the first books in the Slovene language (Abecednik in Katekizem, 1550) were written by the Protestant preacher Primož Trubar, establishing the base for the development of the standard Slovene language.

Slovene was the 12th language in the world with a complete Bible translation (Jurij Dalmatin, 1583).

It is one of the rare Indo-European languages which still uses dual - a grammatical number that some languages use in addition to singular and plural. It is also the only official Language of European Union that uses dual.

The language does not possess any vulgar, curse words. Usually when we use traditional curse words it sounds more sillier than it does offensive. What do you think about: “Tristo kosmatih medvedov” (Three hundred hairy bears), or my favorite: ”Naj te koklja brcne!“(A hen should kick you!)? 😇 😅

Slovenians believe that our national identity developed and was preserved through culture and arts. On 8th February we celebrate Slovene Cultural Holiday - Prešeren day. It is the celebration of the Slovenian culture and is marking the anniversary of the death of the Slovene national poet France Prešeren on 8th February 1849.

Through his poetry Slovenians became equals, in the literary sense, of other European nations. Today, France Prešeren is known as the greatest Slovenian poet and one of our greatest symbolic figures. 

A part of his poem Zdravljica (“A Toast”) - written in the form of a wine glass - was adopted as our national anthem:  God's blessing on all nations / Who long and work for that bright day / When o'er earth habitations / No war, no strife shall hold its sway / Who long to see / That all men free / No more shall foes, but neighbours be!

 Coelho in Veronika decides to die wrote this about him:

“In the small central square of Ljubljana, the statue of the poet stares fixedly at something. If you follow his gaze, you will see, on the other side of the square, the face of a woman carved into the stone of one of the houses. That was where Julia had lived. Even after death, Prešeren gaze for all eternity on his Impossible love.”

The Prešeren Monument in Ljubljana with a sculpture of a muse above him.

How about LOVE situation in this Republic of sLOVEnia, with sLOVEne people and sLOVEne language?

Well ... We have our one Julia - Prešeren's unrequited love. She was the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Ljubljana. Prešeren fell in love with her after a chance meeting at church. For many years she was the inspiration for his love poems. He also dedicated some of the most beautiful ones (Sonetni venec - A Wreath of Sonnets) to her. He never forgot her.

Prešeren also wrote Krst pri Savici (The Baptism on the Savica), the Slovene national epic. It is a narration about a hero and the woman he loves in the period of violent Christianisation of the predecessors of the Slovenes. In the great battle the pagan hero loses his army - only he survived. In the meantime his Bogomila has been converted to Christianity. Although he now accepts her faith, they cannot be together because she has promised her life to God if he survives the battle ... 

So, no happy ending here ... And I have more ... You think the Romeo and Juliet story was tragic? Let me introduce you the Counts of Celje and the story about Frederick and Veronica of Desenice.

While his sister Barbara of Cilli became the Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia by marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, Frideric was Politically married to Elizabeth of Frankopan. But he was in love with Veronica of Desenice and after the death of his wife, he secretly married Veronica.

Frideric's tower in Celje castle

Veronika was minor nobility and Frederick's father Hermann II was greatly opposed to the marriage. He had his son arrested and, while holding him prisoner, initiated a trial against Veronika accusing her of witchcraft. She was acquitted by the court, but (despite the court's ruling) incarcerated in Ojstrica Castle and murdered by being drowned - supposedly on the orders of Hermann II.

Veronica's song (filmed in Celje castle) - forget about My heart will go on, this is (for me) the most beautiful sad love song- ever. 💘                                              

What about modern love stories? 

Well ... I don't know what to think about Melania Trump - the current American First Lady who grew up in Sevnica, about 40 kilometers from my home town ... But I had a good laugh when i read about the secret language (she talks with her son and her parents) in White house, which not even the secret service understands. 😎 😊

The valley of my childhood - Mirna Peč (in translation Quiet Furnace)

As far as the current situation in Slovenia is concerned ... Well ... like elsewhere in the world much fear, anger, hate, separation ... can be felt ... But I hope = I dream that we will recognize our country as the promised land it is and discover all the love and peace, unity ... with which we are blessed ...

The prime part of the identity of a country is beekeeping (in a population of two million there are around 90,000 beekeepers. Slovenia is also the only European Union Member State to have protected its native bee, the Carniolan bee (Apis mellifera carnica). The Carniolan bee is now the second most common honeybee in the world, famed for its docility, hard work, humility and excellent sense of orientation. UN General Assembly proclaimed 20th May as World Bee Day on the initiative brought forward by Slovenia.

The Solkan bridge is the world's longest stone-arch bridge railway.

Trboveljski dimnik (The Trbovlje Chimney) is the tallest flue-gas stack in Europe.

Slovenia has 24 gastronomic regions, 365 varieties of food and drink specific to a certain region or town. And the World’s Best Female Chef 2017 was Ana Roš (her 2 Mishelin Star Restaurant is in Kobarid).

Na Golici is a Slovenian polka instrumental composed by Slavko Avsenik. It is considered the most played instrumental tune in the world, it has been covered more than 600 times all over the world.

Someday maybe to become crusaders of love and peace ... 😃  Well, the legend says, that in the past crusaders on their way to the holy land, stopped on one of the beautiful hills here to rest and then decided never to leave this place. About this true story wrote Amos Oz in his novel Judas:

"... Until one summer evening, at sunset, they arrived in a small valley surrounded by high mountains, in the middle of the country we now know as Slovenia. In their eyes this valley was a divine oasis, full of springs and meadows and green pastures, adorned with small forests and vineyards and flowering orchards, and there was also a small village built around a well, a stone paved square and granaries and barns with sloping roofs.

Hayracks are a unique cultural symbol of Slovenia and the country is also known  as the Land of Hayracks.

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Sheep grazed on the slopes, and here and there were peaceful cows in the meadows, and geese walked around. The villagers were calm and relaxed, and the dark-haired girls were happy ... So the crusaders conferred and decided to call this blessed land Jerusalem and end their arduous journey ...

They built twenty or thirty modest huts, assigned a field to each man, paved the roads, built a small church with a beautiful bell tower. Finally they married girls from a nearby village, had children who grew up in their Jerusalem and splashed happily in their Jordan, walked barefoot through the forest of Betlehem ...

And so they live to this day ... a pure life, a free life in a holy city in the Promised Land ... and all this without bloodshed and endless battles with hostile unbelievers. In their Jerusalem they live peacefully and happily, each under his own vine and fig tree. Until the end of their days ...

There is a vineyard for every 70 people.

The world’s oldest vine (more than 450 years old) is firmly rooted in the heart of Maribor.

And you? Where, do you want to go, if anywhere?"

Chilling in Piran 😌